FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What does the term “out of pocket cost” refer to?

You may have heard the expression “out-of-pocket costs” when referring to your Medicare supplemental insurance. This refers to the cost that you will have to endure when it comes to your medical bills. These expenses vary from your deductible, to your coinsurance, to your co-payment, and even to your medication. Logically speaking the most pragmatic way to limit your Medicare supplemental insurance cost will be to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses as much as you can without sacrificing the level of coverage that you receive. In the end this will guarantee that you get the absolute best coverage possible without overly paying for it.

The different types of out-of-pocket payments of the payments that you will have to make will almost certainly be your deductible. Plainly speaking, this will be the cost that you will have to endure for certain services within your policy. Basically these are the expenses that your supplemental insurance company will refuse to cover and that you will have to pay yourself when the bill arrives. This deductible is widely called the co-pay payment. Citing one example, if you have to go to a specialist for a specific malady that you are suffering you might have to pay something like $30 for every visit you make to that specific doctor. This of course will not include any other medical services that you might have in relation to your malady.

Another expense that you will have to pay yourself is called coinsurance. Not all supplemental insurance companies will have coinsurance, but most of them will. For example, if you have to have a specific type of procedure performed it will cost you a certain quantifiable amount of money. If the operation is $1000 and your deductible is $600 then you will have to pay $400 for that procedure. If however, you have coinsurance payments, then you will have to pay more than that $400. You might have to pay up to 15% of the retainer amount after the procedure is performed.

How to save on out-of-pocket payments

Needless to say those payments which you will have to make yourself can add up pretty quickly. You want to do everything you can to limit those expenses while still getting the absolute best coverage possible. You don’t want to limit those expenses and also limit the type of care that you can receive. The key is to strike a balance between paying the least amount of money possible and getting the absolute best service for your needs.

Maintaining a decreased co-pay will help you significantly since this is the most amount that you will have to pay over a long period of time. The most common scenario for those who use Medicare supplemental insurance is the accumulation of expenses through medication. If, for example, you have a low cost co-pay, it will not hurt your personal expenses too much if you yourself have to pay for it. However, if you’re co-pay is rather expensive, you will be required to pay a significantly higher rates over time. In this particular scenario having a low co-pay for your prescription medications will assist you the most since those can add up quickly.

With that in hand you also have to be mindful about how much you are paying for your deductible or coinsurance. If you are not paying a significant amount for your deductible you will be able to pay for more expensive medical visits should they arise. In this respect you would be wise not to make your deductible a high priced item because you could potentially have to pay a significant amount for your premiums.

In the end the goal is to have a low premium and a low co-pay. This will help you save the most amount of money possible on your Medicare supplemental insurance and limit the amount that you have to pay out of pocket.